Does Porn Contribute to ED?

I often see men in my practice who are referred by their urologists for “sexual performance issues.” Frequently, these men present with erectile dysfunction (ED), premature ejaculation, or in some cases delayed ejaculation. By the time they reach me, most of them have undergone all kinds of medical tests, only to be told that their “plumbing is just fine” and so their problems must be in their heads. Maybe in some cases this is true, but often I find the problem is more complicated. In fact, I’m starting to see a growing number of men whose ED appears to stem from a combination of both physiological and psychological factors.

Several male clients have asked me whether I think their ED might be related to their frequent reliance on pornography when masturbating. Like many health professionals who work with sexual dysfunction in men, I use to think that a man’s ability to get an erection and orgasm while viewing pornography was by definition a rule out for ED. “If you can get it up and climax during porn than the problem can’t be physical,” I erroneously concluded; but anecdotal evidence has got me thinking otherwise.

In researching this topic, I quickly discovered that my male clients are not alone. A cursory search of the Internet unearthed dozens of websites and message boards inundated with personal accounts of men who attest to the fact that excessive masturbation to online pornography has seriously interfered with their ability to be sexually intimate with a partner.

Pornography on the Internet has gone viral, with large numbers of men (and women) taking advantage of the ease, affordability, and anonymity that comes with watching pornography online. And the type of pornography available on the Internet is astounding. This is not your father’s Playboy magazine. “Soft-core” erotic images have been replaced with a dizzying array of material depicting all kinds of kinky themes and fetishes. This imagery is not only more graphic but it’s also available through video streaming which can provide the viewer with instantaneous sexual gratification. The ease and immediacy with which one can view pornography is part of the problem say experts.

The study of pornography has been an area of interest for academics for decades but the impact of chronic pornography viewing on sexual performance has only recently been taken up by the medical field. A preliminary search of medical journals found very few citations directly referencing pornography and ED, although, I suspect this is likely to change as more men (and women) present with pornography-induced sexual dysfunction.

One such study I am aware of was conducted by a group of medical experts affiliated with the Italian Society of Andrology and Sexual Medicine. According to a survey of 28,000 Italian men, researchers found “gradual but devastating” effects of repeated exposure to pornography over long period of time. According to the head of the study, Carlos Forsta, the problem “starts with lower reactions to porn sites, then there is a general drop in libido and in the end it becomes impossible to get an erection.”

So what accounts for the correlation between pornography and erectile dysfunction? In an excellent blog post in Psychology Today (“Why Do I Find Porn More Exciting Than a Partner?”), Gary Wilson, an anatomy and physiology teacher breaks down the neurophysiological links between pornography and ED. Wilson explains that there is a detrimental feedback loop that can emerge between the brain and the penis when men rely heavily on pornographic images to masturbate. With Internet pornography, Wilson writes “it’s easy to overstimulate your brain.” Specifically, overstimulation brought on by viewing pornography can produce neurological changes—specifically, decreasing sensitivity to the pleasure seeking neurotransmitter dopamine—which can desensitize a person to actual sexual encounters with a partner. These neurochemical changes not only contribute to a person becoming “addicted” to pornography but they can also make it incredibly difficult to abstain from viewing pornography entirely.

Men who rely excessively on pornography to reach orgasm will often complain of withdrawal-like symptoms when they decide to go cold-turkey. Such men describe feeling “sexless,” leading many to become anxious and depressed about their diminished libido. Evidence suggests, however, that libido does eventually return—usually within 2-6 weeks of continued abstinence—as evidenced by the gradual return of morning erections as well as spontaneous erections throughout the day. “Recovery” is possible and many men have reported going on to experience extreme physical pleasure during intercourse with their partners after abstaining from pornography.

So, if you are finding the only way that you can climax is through porn, it might be time for you to consider abstaining and consulting a professional. As many men are painfully discovering, real sex involves touching and being touched by another person, not simply touching a mouse and then yourself.

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Tyger Latham, Psy.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist practicing in Washington, DC. He counsels individuals and couples and has a particular interest in sexual trauma, gender development, and LGBT concerns. His blog, Therapy Matters, explores the art and science of psychotherapy.

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This is soooo obvious and common sense why do the research? Porn has been destroying marriages for years, its nothing short of infidelity. Maybe the mans sexual life can be restored to normal but what about the woman? These men don't deserve their partners anyway, they don't have an ounce of respect for their partners.

Oh? But women watching porn is okay right? Men don't use it because they disrespect their partner, they do it because sometimes they have no other way to "release." You're being biased. It may have some detrimental effect psychologically, but it doesn't have to do with infidelity. Besides, it has been shown that having sex with the same person for a very long time actually makes you want them less. It's called the Coolidge Effect: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coolidge_effect. To say someone doesn't respect their partner because they watch porn is stupid, but to specify it to specifically men is even more idiotic. We're not in the 1900s, women watch porn too, and at almost the same out as men.

Personally, I want to see the female aspect of this. Maybe the reason many women can't reach orgasm easily is not because the men are "bad," but rather they themselves have been desensitized just this is saying many men have.

Or maybe those women just need to grow up? That isn't the case at all, and it is just ridiculous to think it is. The men who would turn down their wife/gf/etc to masturbate to porn are wrong, as you are saying, but the vast majority of men aren't like that. Guys sometimes get the "I have a headache" or "I'm not in the mood." So they aren't going to have sex then. Now a man (or a woman for the matter) cannot just turn off his/her sex drive at will. Said person will go and find another way to satiate this need, and it is often porn, for either genders. Now grow up, and realize that it isn't the man wanting other women, but rather another means to satisfy his sexual needs if his wife "isn't in the mood." If you feel that way personally about your husband, then you really need to get over your insecurities.

Or maybe those women just need to grow up? That isn't the case at all, and it is just ridiculous to think it is. The men who would turn down their wife/gf/etc to masturbate to porn are wrong, as you are saying, but the vast majority of men aren't like that. Guys sometimes get the "I have a headache" or "I'm not in the mood." So they aren't going to have sex then. Now a man (or a woman for the matter) cannot just turn off his/her sex drive at will. Said person will go and find another way to satiate this need, and it is often porn, for either genders. Now grow up, and realize that it isn't the man wanting other women, but rather another means to satisfy his sexual needs if his wife "isn't in the mood." If you feel that way personally about your husband, then you really need to get over your insecurities.

Yeah, funny isn't it, that every anecdote about men with porn-induced ED is assumed to ALWAYS have a perfectly ready and willing wife/girlfriend who is just dying to have partnered sex with her man? Well, that just ain't reality. The most common sexual problem reported by women is LACK OF SEXUAL DESIRE. So, duh, even a dunce can figure out that a lot of guys are into porn because they've been shut off by their women.

I'm one of those guys, and I'd much rather have sex with my wife, if only she were more interested. No amount of porn has ever induced ED in my case.

And if it weren't for porn, I'd probably have gone looking for real women outside my marriage.

Just to make the point that porn is not always this destructive ED-inducing monster these discussions seem to make it.

As the article points out there is a growing number of men who are starting to figure this out. The biggest problem it seems is the connection between porn and masturbation. Being a frequent redditor, I stumbled upon a subreddit called NoFap. It is a rather interesting place with 13,000+ registered redditors that are trying to give up porn and masturbation so as to reset themselves.

According to yourbrainonporn.com and a xTed talk, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zif0_60b3WU this is ultimately something should take about 3-5 months to completely reverse. But take comfort in knowing that it is possible.

The most interesting thing I found about this is that its perhaps the largest unintentional study of this sort of thing. You'll find there are even some women attempting this. And astonishingly I find that merely mentioning this whole thing to people makes them realize that they are in fact addicted and have not only a decreased quality of sex life, but also of life altogether.

I want to see this addressed with women as well. Could it be that the reason many women have trouble achieving orgasm isn't because the men they're with (or women for the matter) are "bad" at having sex, but rather they themselves have been desensitized to it like this article says some men are?

What do your "male clients" think about you posting their anecdotes on your blog? Or does saying, "more and more generic men come and talk about..." make it OK? How do you square being a trusted therapist with writing about it all over the internet?

It's forbidden for psychologists to use their clients material for their own personal benefit, like contributing to a layman's website for entertainment purposes or as promotional material for their own practice.

Can infidelity contribute to ED? A man who engaged in at least 20 sexual encounters during his marriage and then went onto porn, then stopped everything and trying to sexually reconnect to his partner with difficulty. Love and passion are there but the dang thing just won't work most of the time!

The link between pornography use and ED can be seen from a perspective that sees porn usage as a cause, or it can see such usage as a symptom.

Masturbation and sex are very different, but the fact that men can perform when masturbating and not otherwise has implications that are important when addressing this issue. The physical mechanism of arousal is still in place, and these men are presumably watching videos or looking at images of young women, some of which are engaging in fetish-acts.

Sexual attraction is emotional, and we as people love that, but it's also a physical, primal urge, and it's related to the passing of genes. A fifty year old man is not going to find his similarly aged partner as stimulating as how he ideally met her.

This can be provoked by limiting his exposure to sexuality, but that is not always practical.

1. Define the people who are suffering from ED.
2. Account for the fact that age absolutely affects sexual attraction. It might not sound nice but that's not something you can ignore.
3. Look at the cause of this proposed feedback loop.

We love exploring addictive behaviors, but we as a society don't like exploring the causes of those behaviors.

The point of this article is that young men are getting ED and it isn't related to physical problems. Overexposure to porn is causing them not to perform, so this isn't an age problem it's a porn problem.

But on your other point, your brain is actually very plastic, so it stays attracted to your mate as he/she ages (emotional, physical connection and oxytocin help). But if you constantly reset your brain to photoshopped 20yr olds then, yeah, you won't be attracted to someone who ages naturally, but that's who you're with. Sucks to be you. Do you think that you're going pick up porn stars at the bar every night? Wouldn't it be better to just naturally be attracted to your spouse by not keeping fantasy women on the side.

"Oh? But women watching porn is okay right? Men don't use it because they disrespect their partner, they do it because sometimes they have no other way to "release." You're being biased."

No women watching porn is not ok, that is not what was said. MEN DO DO IT BECAUSE THEY DISRESPECT THEIR PARTNER, WHAT A LOAD OF TOSH REGARDING NO OTHER WAY TO "RELEASE" HELLO?! THAT'S WHAT THE WIFE/PARTNER IS FOR AND INTIMACY HELPS RELATIONSHIPS STAY TOGETHER. NOT ABOUT BEING BIASED IT'S COMMON SENSE.

No, men don't ALWAYS do it merely out of disrespect for their partner. There are many different reasons. And one is that their wives have shut them off, in spite of the fact that, as you say, THAT'S WHAT (they) ARE FOR. As you must know, one of the most frequent sexual complaints from middle-age women is lack of desire. So it would stand to reason that in many marriages the wife is not available for sex, and so porn is better than going out and having an affair.

ALSO PORN WATCHERS ARE CONDONING THE ACT, THE FACT IS MANY WOMEN AND MEN WHO PRODUCE PORN COMMITT SUICIDE, AND STD'S INCLUDING AIDS IS RIFE SEE: https://www.thepinkcross.org/

"Guys sometimes get the "I have a headache" or "I'm not in the mood." So they aren't going to have sex then. Now a man (or a woman for the matter) cannot just turn off his/her sex drive at will. Said person will go and find another way to satiate this need, and it is often porn, for either genders."

What do you think men did before porn, cave men lol. Porn is completely necessary.

As for the men and women who produce porn, let's be clear that today the professional porn industry is only a small portion of "porn". A lot of it is online webcamming etc. by people who have nothing to do with the "porn industry".

My boyfriend also had this problem. He used to sneakily enjoy porn without telling me, until one day I busted him in the act. We had a big fight and talk about it. We decided to start watching porn together and it has certainly helped our sex life.

He no longer has these ED moments. We currenty check out the porn list at http://theporndude.com/. It has over 750 porn websites ranked by quality. We would surf to a couple of them and start watching our favourite videos, as some kind of foreplay.

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Male sexual arousal is a complex process that involves the brain, hormones, emotions, nerves, muscles and blood vessels. Erectile dysfunction can result from a problem with any of these. Likewise, stress and mental health concerns can cause or worsen erectile dysfunction.

Sometimes a combination of physical and psychological issues causes erectile dysfunction. For instance, a minor physical condition that slows your sexual response might cause anxiety about maintaining an erection. The resulting anxiety can lead to or worsen erectile dysfunction.
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And remeber,the brain plays a key role in triggering the series of physical events that cause an erection, starting with feelings of sexual excitement. A number of things can interfere with sexual feelings and cause or worsen erectile dysfunction.

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